Amateur Athletic Act

(LATEST SUMMARY)

Amateur Athletic Act - =Title I: General Provisions= - Expresses the findings of Congress in the realm of amateur athletic competition. Sets forth the definitions of terms used in this Act.

=Title II: Coordination of Amateur Athletic Activity= - Establishes an independent agency to be known as the Amateur Sports Board. Prescribes the qualifications of the five-member Board, their terms of office, and procedures for Chairman election.

Gives the Board power to hold hearings, issue subpenas, and require reports.

Authorizes the Board to issue charters for sports which apply to corporations. Requires such corporations to inform amateur athletes under their jurisdiction of policy matters under consideration and to reflect such athletes views in their policies.

Empowers the Board to deny charters to sports organizations which have denied amateur athletes who were its members the right to compete in any unrestricted sports competition conducted by the organization or any other sports organization sanctioned by a chartered sports association.

Requires charter applicants to demonstrate to the Board that it is fairly representative of athletes in the sport it represents.

States that a charter grants authority to act as the United States representative to the appropriate international governing body for that sport; and to conduct domestic competition.

Authorizes the Board to revoke a charter if the association is not recognized by international bodies as the single representative of athletes for its sport.

States that charters shall expire on June 30 of the year of the winter Olympic games and December 31 of the year of the summer Olympic games.

Forbids competition in the United States which is unsanctioned by a chartered sports association.

Directs the Board to establish and designate the members of the United States Olympic Commission. Prescribes the membership composition of the Commission.

Requires the Commission to review the participation of the United States in the Olympic games, and, if it recommends that such participation should be continued, to also recommend the form of organization by means of which the United States should participate in the Olympic movement and to present specific proposals for any legislation required to implement its recommendations.

Directs the Commission to submit to the President, Congress, and the Board a final report of its findings and recommendations not later than March 15, 1974, or one hundred and eighty days after all of the members of the Commission have been designated by the Board, whichever is earlier, and after another 30 days shall cease to exist.

Directs the Board to establish within its organization a Division of Athletic Facilities to gather, analyze, and make available information relating to existing and potential procedures for the financing, construction, maintenance, and use of athletic facilities.

Directs the Board to establish within its organization a Division of Safety and Health to gather, analyze, and make make available information relating to safety in athletics, and to make recommendations for promoting greater safety in athletic activity.

Authorizes appropriations for the specified purposes of this title of such sums as are necessary not to exceed $1,100,000 for fiscal year 1974, not to exceed $1,100,000 for fiscal year 1975, and not to exceed $1,100,000 for fiscal year 1976. Authorizes the sum of $750,000 for fiscal year 1974, to be appropriated for the use of the Commission in carrying out other provisions of this Act.

=Title III: Support and Encouragement of Sports and Physical Fitness= - Establishes in the District of Columbia a body corporate by the name of the National Sports Development Foundation which shall not be an establishment of the United States Government, to be directed by the Trustees of the National Sports Development Foundation.

Directs the Foundation to promote equal opportunity for and encourage participation and excellence in athletic activity and physical fitness programs for individuals of all ages.

Provides procedures for appointment of members to the United States Amateur Sports Board. States that such members shall be selected from among persons distinguished for their dedication to the highest ideals of sports, for their freedom from bias in sports, and for their knowledge and experience in sports development in its broadest sense.

Provides that the accounts of the Foundation shall be audited annually. Authorizes, for each fiscal year following fiscal year 1975, to be appropriated to the board for use in carrying out the provisions of this title, an amount equal to the amount of donations, bequests, and devises of property received by the board during the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which such appropriation is made, except that the total aggregate amount appropriated shall not exceed $50,000,000.